Chevy has unvealed their new 2015 Colorado and it came with a whopper - a new diesel engine will be offered in 2016. Along with new styling, this new midsize truck should be a strong competitor.
The Chevy Colorado fills GM's marketing plan of having a small, medium and large truck. It is 6 inches narrower, 18 inches shorter, 3 inches lower and nearly 1,000 lbs lighter than the larger Silverado. It has a much more sporty styling and has dropped some of the square looks of past models. The smaller truck shares some of the larger trucks innovations like the tailgate step, aluminum hood, triple sealing on doors for quiet ride and instrument panel upgrades with 8-inch navigation screen with the MyLink system. [more]
As exciting as the styling changes are is the news of a diesel engine offering. Coming in 2016, the 2.8L, 4-cyl "baby" Duramax diesel engine will most likely have 200 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque. If it follow the Ram's EcoDiesel offering, the engine will have an upcharge of several thousand dollars yet it will have superior low-end torque and MPGs. The Colorado will also come with a base 2.5L, 4-cyl engine rated at 193 HP and 184 lb-ft of torque as well as a 3.6L V-6 with 302 HP and 207 lb-ft of torque.
GM has decided to offer just three trim levels - a WT (work truck), LT and Z71. Also, it will be offered with a 5-foot or 6-foot bed in either an extended cab or crew cab (no regular cab). The lack of choices might work to their benefit with less consumer confusion.
Currently, the Toyota Tacoma dominates the market. GM says it will try to cut into that market share as well as try to attract Ram and Ford customers looking for a midsize option. It also plans on filling a void for a midsize fleet truck since the Ranger left the market.
The truck will probably be offered at under $20k to create a price gap between it and the larger Silverado. Expecations are that it will get fuel economy in the mid 20s with the diesel possibly hitting the high 20s or 30.

On November 14th, a 360-degree barrel roll was caught on tape at an event in Ensenada, Mexico. What's the big deal? Well, this may be the first 360 barrel roll done by a truck that has ever been successful and caught on tape. Whether it is or is not, it is very impressive. Baja 1000 racer Adrian "Wildman" Cenni makes a clean jump and sticks the landing. His nickname definitely makes sense now! So, would you ever have the guts to ever try something similar to this or would you like to keep all four wheels on the ground? Check out the video by clicking through. [more]
Via Autoblog

Chrysler has decided to replace the Curry County Sheriff' Department's 6,000-mile Dodge Charger police cruiser and all its gear following a fire that they've deemed "suspicious." The blaze seems to have started in the front right wheel well, engulfed the entire vehicle, and reignited repeatedly as firefighters attempted to extinguish it. Hmm, when a cop car goes up in flames, doesn't it make more sense to suspect human intervention rather than a defect with the car? Investigators have been focused on the brake line, which on that side passes near the exhaust, which would make sense if that corner had sustained damage at some point. But the NHTSA has no records of any spontanously-combusting Chargers before now. Full story at Curry Pilot, via Autoblog.

Every time a race car driver sets foot in a car they’re putting themselves in harms way. While driving and racing may seem like a glamourous way to make a living, it’s also one of the most dangerous. Triple digit speeds, weather, mechanical issues and the competition are just a few of the never ending concerns that drivers face on a daily basis. There is an element of extreme unpredictability that goes along with motor sport and at times situations can erupt that are simply out of everyones control. Take this incident that occurred at the start line recently at the Perth round of the V8 Supercars Championship 2011 in Perth, Australia. As the green flag dropped one of the cars that lay further back on the grid was rear ended causing it to burst into a fireball. Watching the driver scramble for safety is not only frightening, but a testament of how dangerous the sport of motor racing actually is. Thankfully the driver escape without serious injury. Click through for the shocking video. Via RideLust

Bumper stickers are one of those things that can make me laugh if they convey just the right wisecrack, but typically they are annoying and they devalue the appearance of any ride. However, sometimes a small sticker or window cling can be the cherry on top. We've all seen the overplayed Calvin peeing on ___'s, and the endless No Fears, which at this point are probably best stayed away from. What I've chosen from my rear window is small and subtle, but does a great job of getting my message across (that message being, basically, "if you show off in front of me, I will humiliate you and your car in front of your girlfriend"). I have a superman logo in the rear window of my Spirit R/T, alluding to its super-sedan status; a flag from the new Dodge commercials, one of the best ad campaigns ever; and a window cling depicting the Gadsden flag. This one is really cool, as it's one of America's earliest flags and has a ton of embedded symbolism, with its rattlesnake on either a yellow or red/white striped background and the words "Don't Tread on Me." In the Navy, we call it Jack and we fly it off the bow of every single warship. I keep it to show my patriotism, but also to show that again like a rattlesnake, I won't strike unless provoked, but if you start talking smack about my car, we will settle it at the track and I aim to win. Bottom line is, a carefully placed sticker or stickers can send the right message, and add a little attitide if done right. Just don't plaster your ride up unless you're going for the race car look or you happen to be heavily focused on the coming election (even then I wonder why. I still see John Kerry stickers occasionally). What about you: Do you use bumper stickers? If so, what message do you try to convey?

Every weekend, it's a veritable car show going up PCH. But this weekend, it was Memorial Day and the pimpin' started early. (All except for the "beater" that popped and snorted up the highway with every panel trashed.) Along with the cars and traffic, things really got fun when fire trucks showed up at the pier because it caught on fire. Fire? Who cares. We dig the cars, man...

The weather proved to be hit and miss, with passing showers for the 2011 American Motor Show at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. Yet this didn’t seem to deter the American car enthusiasts from getting their pride and joys out to the beautifully-presented grounds. There was plenty to see with all makes covered and a great turnout of clubs as well. The quality of the cars was high as it always is at this event, and there were some rare models on display as well for those who perused the rows of American iron in all its polished splendor! Trade alley also had great variety of goodies on offer for car owners and budding enthusiasts alike, with many a great deal to be had. If your passion is American iron, then this show is not to be missed and will be on again next year… with or without the rain! More pics after the jump!

Woohoo, another exciting German vanity plate. This one happens to be stuck to a beautiful black 512 TR, the successor to the Testarossa. We literally stumbled on this one while walking to the subway, as from the other side of the enormous Audi Q7, the 512 is completely invisible. We hung around for a bit to see if the owner would materialize and fire it up, but no dice. That's ok, the visual alone was worth it.

We've already showed you this cute little disappearing facade in San Francisco that conceals the entrance to a 4-car garage. So how about a giant pole barn in Florida whose entire front span retracts up to reveal scads of shop and car-storage space? There sure is a lot of room for cars in there, but I don't get why there's no driveway. Video below the jump!